The metadata analysis of a Mother’s Day photograph featuring Kate Middleton indicated that the image underwent editing on two separate occasions prior to its release. This detail emerged following the Princess of Wales’s acknowledgment of her involvement in the photo’s alteration.
The Princess of Wales extended her regrets for the editing mistakes made on the photograph. On platform X, from the official account of the Prince and Princess of Wales, she stated, “As someone who enjoys photography, I sometimes explore with editing techniques. I would like to offer my sincere apologies for any misunderstanding that the edited family photograph we posted yesterday may have caused.”
Metadata confirms Kate Middleton’s admission that family photo was doctored https://t.co/iGG6vU0gUq pic.twitter.com/FiHPAYOqWE
— New York Post (@nypost) March 12, 2024
The New York Post reported that the photo’s embedded data revealed two distinct editing timestamps. The initial timestamp is marked as “2024-03-08T21:54:11Z,” suggesting the first round of edits occurred at 9:54 pm on March 8. A subsequent timestamp, “2024-03-09T09:39:47Z,” indicates a second editing session took place at 9:39 am on March 9.
While the timestamps indicate the instances of editing, they do not confirm the actual date the photograph was captured. This detail remains unverified against the royal family’s statement that the photo was taken the previous week.
Photo editing software can extract metadata from images. The analysis indicated that Kate’s photograph was captured with an “EF50mm” lens mounted on a Canon SLR camera. The image was modified and saved using Adobe Photoshop on an Apple computer.
Numerous prominent news organizations retracted a photograph of Kate disseminated by Kensington Palace, citing concerns of alteration. The Associated Press remarked that upon detailed examination, the image seemed to have been altered by the source. Agence France-Presse stated their reason for withdrawal was related to an editorial problem.
Amidst a swirl of conspiracy theories, concerns arose regarding the implications of the photograph for Kate’s well-being. A source familiar with the matter expressed to the New York Post, “There’s a serious issue at hand,” adding, “The fact that Kate couldn’t participate in a single photo session suggests the circumstances are more grave than perceived.”
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